The Answer, My Friend

The Answer and his sidekick (named Sidekick[1]) have broken into a bank and killed the guard on duty. As they rob the bank, the Answer quizzes the Sidekick about everything that has happened since they broke out of the Raft.[2] The only question he doesn’t have an answer for, is who in law enforcement or the superhero community will come after them first.[3]

Meanwhile, at the behest of Spider-Man, Toxin has been attempting to capture another Raft escapee, Razor-Fist. Unfortunately, Pat Mulligan’s symbiote is protesting its treatment by changing Pat’s clothes into a dorky outfit. As Pat evades Razor-Fist’s attacks, the symbiote explains that it created the “Larry” identity for them as a neutral disguise.[4] After Pat gets Anton, a youth who brought him to Razor-Fist’s hideout, to safety he is finally cut by his foe. Fearing for his life, Pat pleads with his symbiote to transform him into Toxin because he is afraid that he will never see his son again. The alien creature finally relents and emerges from hiding.

At that moment, Anton is being pulled out of the basement trapdoor by Lulu, another one of Razor-Fist’s followers. Not long after, Razor-Fist leaps out of the put in fear of Toxin. As he flees the scene he serously cuts Lulu, forcing Toxin to stop his chase to get her to a hospital. As they turn the injured girl over to doctor, the Toxin symbiote explains that Pat was never in any real danger as their bonding allowed him to quickly heal from Razor-Fist’s attack. Although the two are not getting along, they both realize that they are going to have to come up with some kind of mutual agreement on living together.

Meanwhile, Razor-Fist has met with one of his police informants, who is also one of his loyal followers. He explains how Toxin was put on his trail by Spider-Man and how the symbiotic hero can track his scent like a bloodhound. Once he has all the information he needs, Razor-Fist repays his servant by killing him.

Later, Pat Mulligan is back at his apartment watching the news coverage on the Answer’s daring bank robbery. He has to explain to Toxin that what the Answer did was bad because he committed murder and stole something that doesn’t belong to him. Toxin, who is still practically an infant, asks the difference between the Answer’s crimes and how the original immigrants to North America stole land from the Native Americans. Pat tries to explain the difference between the two, but realizes that the latter issue is far more complex to explain than a simple robbery. Pat goes for a walk and tries to figure out a way to teach the symbiote the concept of human morality. He thinks about how his mother dismissed his protests as a child by telling him the rules were what they were because she said so and figures that won’t fly with the symbiote. Coming across a church he also contemplates trying religion, but figures the Bible isn’t going to be a good enough answer for the symbiote any more than it was a good enough answer for him.

The following morning, Gina Mulligan is out walking her infant son Edward with her father-in-law, Jim. He updates her on his search for Pat, who had recently walked out on his family.[5] Jim tells Gina about how he met with Pat’s former partner on the police force, Paul Meadows. Meadows had told him that Pat was in some kind of trouble but wouldn’t say what that was. Upon hearing that Pat still loves and cares for them, Gina wonders why he doesn’t come home. They are unaware that Pat is sitting on a bench down the path from them, watching his wife from the distance. The Toxin symbiote begins mocking the irony of the situation, pointing out that Pat has been forced to abandon his own flesh and blood child in order to raise a child from beyond the stars. Growing fed up, Pat screams for Toxin to shut up or he vows to find a way to hurt the creature lurking inside him. Hearing this shouting, Gina wonders what’s going on, but Jim dismisses the shouts as the raving of some park dwelling lunatic.

That evening Pat goes out as Toxin and resumes his search for Razor-Fist. Unfortunately, he discovers that — for some reason — he is no longer able to follow Razor-Fist’s trail. This is because his quarry is having himself slathered in oils and perfumes by his followers to cover his scent. With the trail gone cold, Pat decides to return to the hospital to check in on Anton and Lulu. Unfortunately, neither one knows where to find Razor-Fist. Anton later tells him that, even though he wants nothing to do with Razor-Fist, the villain did somehow make him stop cutting himself, and God bless him for it. Returning to his apartment, Pat tries to convince Toxin that Razor-Fist was bad. However, the symbiote doesn’t really see it that way, pointing out how he was helping his followers overcome self-harm. The debate is abruptly ended when they hear gunshots. Finding a deaf officer in an alley with a photo of his wife and children, Pat asks if this situation is black-and-white enough for the symbiote. It is.

Soon, Toxin is tracking down the cop-killer, thinking about how this could have happened to him when he was a police officer and the thought of his son Edward growing up without a father makes him angrier. When he finally catches up with the shooter, he allows Toxin to kill the man responsible. He returns back to his apartment to shower off all the blood and vicera off his bod. Pat feels guilty because he lost control, but Toxin insists that they did the right thing executing that criminal. However, after some consideration, Pat admits that he allowed it to happen but still says it was a bad thing they just did. He tells the symbiote that they need to keep those dark urges in check. Toxin admits it was a mistake, and suggests that they can find answers to their problems. Hearing the word “answer” suddenly gives Pat an idea on what they should do next.

Later, the Answer and his Sidekick are drinking in an Irish pub wondering how long he should wait for the Owl to contact him. That’s when Toxin enters the bar and overpowers the Answer. Pat explains his origins and asks the Answer how he can keep the symbiote under control and teach it the difference between right and wrong. The Answer thinks it over…..

A short time later, the Answer is incarcerated at Ryker’s Island and he muses over the answer he gave Toxin about his problem. He told him that the best thing to do was to go to the subway and jump in front of a train. Surprisingly, Pat Mulligan follows this suggestion, stopping long enough to take one last look at a photo of his wife and son before leaping in front of an oncoming train.

Recurring Characters

Toxin, Razor-Fist, the Answer, Sidekick, Paul Meadows, Jim Mulligan, Gina Mulligan, Edward Mulligan

Continuity Notes

1. Unnamed here, the Answer’s name is literally called “Sidekick” per the Answer profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1.

2. Actually, the Answer states that he broke free from Ryker’s Island. However, New Avengers #1 and New Avengers: Most Wanted Files #1 confirm that he was imprisoned at the Raft. Since the Raft is an extension of Ryker’s, the Answer is not incorrect here. This story states that the Raft breakout happened six months prior to this story. That is the length of time between the publication of New Avengers #1 and Toxin #1. Therefore this measurement should be considered topical. The Earth-616 operates on a Sliding Timescale that works on a 4:1 ratio (every four years of publications = one year in the Marvel Universe) as such, the breakout would actually have happened a month and a half prior to this story instead of six months.

3. The Answer states that he is committing the bank robbery to try and impress the Owl. At the time of this story, the Kingpin had been recently disposed as ruler of the underworld in Daredevil (vol. 2) #30. Since Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #3, the Owl has been trying to fill the void left by Wilson Fisk.

4. Razor-Fist states that he was trained by a master of Kung Fu, saying he was someone who could alter his molecules to become a Bo Tree. He is likely referring to Fu Manchu, who was the primary antagonist in the series Master of Kung Fu. At the time this comic was published, Marvel no longer had the rights to the character Fu Manchu and whenever he is referenced he is never spoken of by name, but with a vague discription of who he is. It’s weird that Razor-Fist is referring to Fu Manchu. While the villain appeared in Master of Kung Fu #105-106, the closest interaction he’s had to Fu Manchu was battling his son, Shang-Chi, aka the Master of Kung Fu.

5. Pat abandoned his wife and child after bonding with the Toxin symbiote out of concern for their safety as seen in Venom vs. Carnage #1-4.

Topical References

• Outdated technology: CRT televisions